Where does “amongst” come from?
Amongst derives from Middle English amongs, formed by adding the adverbial suffix -s to among, which itself came from Old English on gemang meaning "in a crowd or mixture."
amongst (English): Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct...
Definitions
- Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct...
Ancestry of “amongst”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | amongs | — |
| 2 | English | among | Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct... |
| 3 | Middle English | among | among |
| 4 | Old English | amang | among |
| 5 | Old English | onġemang | among |
| 6 | Old English | ġemang | a mixture, mingling, throng, crowd, company;... |
| 7 | Old English | ġe- | used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating completeness or perfection |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | ga- | used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 12 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 13 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 14 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 15 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 16 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |